This is a short podcast that shows Angela’s struggles to identify as both Deaf and a Latina. Many primarily identify as part of the Deaf community and do not think of themselves as part of the Latino community. 

The following journal shows the hardships the Deaf in Peru encounter in terms of education by following the story of Dante. Due to a lack of knowledge about his deafness, Dante was thought of to be have a mental handicap and was thought to just be stupid. He lived in an isolated world unable to express his feelings until he was enrolled in a school for the Deaf. 

In Peru, there is a lack of education for the Deaf. Deaf education reaches until the sixth grade and from then on in order to continue, the Deaf must integrate into a hearing school. Consequently, many of Peru’s Deaf Population do not carry on with a high school level education and much less a college education. 

Transcript:

Hello. For this post, I am going to be talking to you about Deaf El Salvador. In the country there is estimated to be around 15,000 deaf people. In El Salvador there is more than one sign language used. In fact, there are three sign language that are used in the country. There is El Salvadoran Sign Language which is abbreviated to LESA, American Sign Language (ASL), and Costa Rican Sign Language (CRS). For LESA, it is estimated that around 7,500 people use it. It is more common in families where deafness is generational. ASL is used more in the western area of the country while Costa Rican Sign Language is used in the eastern are of the country.

Deaf El Savador

On June 1, 2019 the new president of El Salvador was inaugurated. This event might not seem important for the Deaf community. However, in the speech of President Nayib Bukele, he made a point to include the Deaf community. He is the first president in the history of El Salvador to use Salvadorian Sign Language. According to EnSenas which is a Deaf organization of the country stated that the president signed that El Salvador needs to work together for the betterment of the country, and it is in the hands of the farmers, fishermen, teachers, students, housewives, basically of the people. President Bukele wants to provide the same opportunities for all people of the society. The interpreter smiled as he watched his new president include the community. This small act of inclusion of the Deaf community was a huge moment for them. 

Deaf Latinos

According to the text, 61.2% of families with a deaf child do not use sign language at home (8). Many Latino parents do not believe that they need to learn ASL themselves. They often rely on another child to learn to communicate through them as an interpreter. Therefore, there is a huge communication gap between deaf children and their hearing parents. This isolates the child as they do not participate in their Latino culture or the Deaf culture. 

Transcript:

Hello. For this post I am going to talk about to you about Deaf Paraguay. The population of the Deaf in the country is estimated to be around 316,000 people. The official name for the sign language used is called Lenguas de Señas del Paraguay which is translated to Paraguayan Sign Language and abbreviated to LSPY. LSPY is used in both formal and causal interactions. There is another sign language used in the country and that is the Brazilian Sign Language which is used closer to the border between Paraguay and Brazil. The early roots of LSPY is actually influenced by the Uruguayan Sign Language. It is reported that the Deaf actually acquire the LSPY outside of the classroom and in the Deaf associations and religious meetings.

Transcript:

Hello. For this post I am going to be giving you some facts about Deaf Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, the Deaf Population has not been exactly estimated, but it has been given a broad range to be around 8,000 to 420,000 deaf people. In the island, there are two different sign languages that are used. The first is called Puerto Rican Sign Language which is abbreviated to PRSL, and the second is called American Sign Language which is abbreviated to ASL. The PRSL is more commonly used in lower populated areas of the western and central parts of the island while American Sign Language is becoming more and more common within the Deaf community of the island of Puerto Rico.

This journal shows the different upbringings of deaf children from two different families. The Torres family went to a deaf school, San Gabriel, while the Ayalas had no official deaf education. Therefore, the Ayala family had to rely on the few signs that were made up at home. Another important fact to note is the belief of why the family had deaf children. It is said that “Moncho”, the father, was a womanizer in his youth, and by the time he settled down it was too late. His first four children were deaf. In the Latino community, many times when the child is born with different needs, it is seen as a punishment for the parent’s behavior. This is something that needs to be eradicated from the culture. 

Both cochlear implantation and deaf education are widely cost effective in Latin America. In the lower-middle income economy of Guatemala, implant cost may have a larger impact

https://journals.lww.com/otology-neurotology/Abstract/2016/09000/Moving_Beyond_GDP___Cost_Effectiveness_of_Cochlear.8.aspx

Transcript:

Hello. For this post, I am going to be talking to you about Deaf Peru. It is estimated that the Deaf population is around 330,000 people. The official name for the sign language used is called Lenguaje de senas peruano which is translated to Peruvian Sign language and abbreviated to LSP. LSP has different variations depending in the geographical region and the differences between generations and religious groups. In Peru, there are 70 schools which educate the Deaf. However, only 11 of those schools are deaf-only and 9 of those schools use some LSP while the other 2 use oral methods and teach in Spanish. Even though the teachers use LSP, it is reported that the LSP they use is different from the majority that the LSP Deaf community uses.

Deaf Inquitos, Peru

The journal explains that in Iquitos, Peru when children are born, they do not go through screening tests for hearing. Neither is there any information on any hospital pamphlets explaining that deafness could affect newborns. A child’s deafness in Peru is recorded to be discovered when the child is between the ages of one and five. In Iquitos, there is no audiologist for families with deaf children to visit. Many families of which have low incomes are told that they need to travel to Lima in order for their child to be properly diagnosed. However, due to their economic situation many are not able to travel to Lima.

Schooling for deaf children in Iquitos was opened in 1985 as a private school and with the school arrived sign language to the country. However, this school does not fully meet the educational needs of the Deaf. For example, most of the teachers had no professional training or were not certified to work with the Deaf. Consequently, the Deaf only received basic teachings in math and acquired poor literary skills.

The following documentary follows several families with deaf children. The parents explain their struggles with accepting their child’s needs. The Latino parents also struggled to connect with other Latinos with deaf children. The video also shows the stigmatization of the Latino community when you have a child which they do not consider “normal”.

The link provided is a website of the Deaf Latino community. It provides a section of Deaf owned businesses and Deaf organizations.

Transcript:

Hello. For this post I am going to be giving you some quick facts about Deaf Dominican Republic. As you guys may or may not know, sign language varies from place to place. So, the official sign language used in the country is called Dominican Sign Language or abbreviated to DSL which is actually very strongly influenced by American Sign Language or ASL. The first deaf school was founded in 1967, and there are currently 30 deaf schools in the country. For the deaf population, it is approximated that there are 60,000 deaf people. The Dominican Republic is hosting the 2019 International Deaf Resort Week which is a great event for the Deaf community as they love fellowship and emphasize communicating with one another in the Deaf community as it is a very integral part of their culture. And this event will be taking place in Punta Cana from the days from July 29th to August 4th. 

International Deaf Resort Week: https://deafresorts.com/product/international-deaf-resort-2019/

my older sister would fingerspell in English what my parents would say in Spanish. Later, my older sister became an interpreter so she would interpret between me and my parents. My parents depended on my older sister to communicate with me. My other siblings would communicate with me in spoken English with very exaggerated mouth movements. With my deaf sister, I communicated in ASL.

https://firstgen.naspa.org/scholarly-article/facing-and-overcoming-academic-challenges-perspectives-from-deaf-latino/a-first-generation-college-students